On Apr. 24, 2026, senior Lauren Voigt headed to Normal, IL, to compete in the annual IHSA journalism state competition. Voigt, along with hundreds of high school students around Illinois, contended in a series of competitions, hoping to advance to the state finals.

The IHSA journalism contest begins with the sectional competition, where students statewide compete across 17 different categories. At the start of each event, competitors are given prompt materials —such as mock interview transcripts, fact sheets and statistics about the topic focus. Students are then given 90 minutes to fully complete and submit their work, all of which should be original and produced on the day of the competition. The competition is designed to test individual journalistic ability, with the top three finishers in each event at seven sectional sites advancing to the State Final. 

Voigt has competed in the sectional competition for the past three years. During her sophomore year, she competed in news writing and placed third. In her junior year, she competed in feature writing and placed second. This year, she competed in Editorial Writing. Out of many students, she placed second, advancing to the state finals for the third year in a row.

After her stellar performance at sectionals, Voigt made her way down to Hartland Community College in Normal, IL, to compete against students around the state. When asked what her favorite part of state was, Voigt voiced, “My favorite part about state was just competing, and knowing I am where I’m supposed to be. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to place in the competition to have accomplished something good.”

While this was her last year competing as a member of East’s X-ray Newspaper, Voigt has worked her way up to success throughout her high school years. With her hard work and dedication, Voigt finished off her senior year strong, leaving behind memorable performances for future staff to follow.